Animal Magic

I feel for the little Polkadot Frog. I really do. You know me. I’m not good with poetry, but I still wanted to read Liz Brownlee’s Animal Magic. It sounded all right. And it’s poems about endangered species, with one page of facts about the animal in question, and a poem about it on the next page.

Some of the poems, no actually, quite a few of them, are shaped like their animal, which makes for fun reading. The giraffe poem has a giraffe-shaped poem. That sort of thing.

The poems come with illustrations of the animals as well, very nicely done by Rose Sanderson. She’s good with frogs. There are lots of frogs. Except, soon there won’t be. The humans are misbehaving and far too many animal species will be gone forever.

That’s where poor Polkadot Frog comes in. He is not merely endangered, but he was only discovered recently because his habitat was chopped down to build a road. Just imagine, you’re only found when it’s already too late!

So it’s rather sad that we get to read these poems, and then the ‘main characters’ will disappear. Some already have. (The fact pages have been checked by experts on each animal, and it looks to me as if there’s a lot of useful stuff there.

At the back of the book you will also find a glossary and reference lists, as well as advice on who would like your money to try and stop this dreadful behaviour of ours.) Animal Magic would do well in schools. If they have any sense.

We made you big. Now it’s your turn to honour that, by providing us with NCIS episodes worthy of your fans’ devotion. Instead you are ‘thanking’ us by invariably serving up complete rubbish, with the odd silver nugget every now … Continue reading →